Former NFL Player Accused Of Assaulting Boyfriend

Kwame Harris, 30, played football for Stanford and
the San Francisco 49ers

This is probably not the way Kwame Harris expected the general public to find out about his sexual orientation. In fact, it appears as if Harris was hoping o remain closeted forever. However, the story of the 30-year-old former NFL player was arrested in San Francisco on suspicion of assaulting his ex-boyfriend has become huge news, especially since the Super Bowl is being played in less than a week.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Former 49ers and Raiders tackle Kwame Harris faces charges that he assaulted his boyfriend at a Menlo Park restaurant after an argument involving soy sauce and underpants, San Mateo County prosecutors said Monday.

Harris, 30, became angry with Dimitri Geier, 36, in August at Su Hong restaurant on Menlo Avenue, according to court documents.

[...]

Serrato said the men were romantically involved and previously had lived together. Geier, a resident of Los Angeles, was visiting Harris at the time of the altercation, said Craig Charles, Geier's attorney.

"They'd broken up and gotten back together a few times," Charles said. "It was not a formal relationship."

During the restaurant argument, Harris accused Geier of stealing his underwear, Serrato said. Harris then tried to pull down Geier's pants, the prosecutor said.

"I guess he was trying to prove that he was wearing his underwear," Serrato said.

Harris, 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, then pinned Geier (6-1, 220 pounds) against a plate-glass window and hit him several times in the face and head, Serrato said.

Ouch. 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds? That is a big guy. Geier had extensive injuries and needed facial surgeries after the incident. Harris is scheduled for trial in April.

One of the key reasons why the story is so interesting to the public is that there has never been an openly gay male member of a professional sports team in the United States (basketball, baseball or football) even though everyone knows that they must exist and numerous players have come out (or been outed) after their professional sports days are over.

It's really just a question of when, not if, a professional player comes out, and then the question is how will the sport, and the public respond?

Hat/tip to Rod 2.0